Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Heaney quotes Wallace Stevens in order to evaluate his argument. Wallace says! Poetry
creates an alternative world to the world of fact. Poetry suggests what life ought to be.
Poetry makes sketches and plans. It shows possibilities; it shows what is desirable.
Moreover, Poetry is about man. Poetry promotes, love of men. Poetry shows that all
men are human beings and they deserve sympathy. But politics tells us that some people
deserve sympathy and some deserve our wrath. Poetry speaks of love for all people:
Politics forces people to kill other people. In fact politics divides men. If poetry becomes
politics then it will not remain poetry, it will become a propaganda and in this way it will
divide humanity into friends and foes. For instance, the Irish men who were killed in the
rising of 1916 . But he is also sorry for the Englishmen who died in the fight. Talking
about the humanitarian zeal of poetry. Heaney says, that zeals considers both enemies
and friends as men. He does not discriminate between the Irish People and the English
people. Both were fighting for their ideals. That is exactly what poetry conveys to us,
everyman whether black or white; Irish or English has the same feeling, passions and
blood.
Heaney raises an interesting point here which is also shared by Edward Said in
Culture and Imperialism that the sensibility of the people of the colonies is coloured by
the sensibility of the imperial masters. As the Irish condemn the English but they use the
English medium. Imperialism has inculcated in their minds a culture that they tried to
reject. But this is also a very healthy experience. The Irish hate the English, still they love
Shakespeare and Keats.
To conclude, Heaney tries to demonstrate that poetry has a function in life, though
not ostentatious. The poet does nothing on purpose, but poetry is a medium which by its
very nature serves a purpose. This can be understood with reference to a statement by
Wordsworth that his poetry has a purpose. It is not meaningless activity. But this purpose
is not imposed upon poetry. Since Wordsworth lives a purposeful life, therefore whatever
he does has a purpose in it. Heaney believes that poetry cannot be subjected to any
particular direction and nor limited to any certain aspect of society. He emphasises that
poets should elevate their services onuniversal level and poetry should be above all
racial, social and political prejudices. This is how he evaluates brighter sides and aspects
of poetry in his essay Redress of Poetry
Prof. Ali Raza Fahad Dept. of English, Govt. Postgraduate College, Gojra